Strange Destiny
by LaNi-GoLDfiSh
Summary: I need a beta! anyone interested? Hermione must find her soulmate or the wizard world will perish. If only she remembered! Will she find her soulmate anyway? Luck is on her side! Maybe her soulmate is someone she never considered. NO FLAMES PLZ!only const
1. Dream or reality

**Chapter 1**

**Dream or reality**

**A/N: This is my 3rd fanfic, I have decided to write this and discontinue my other two stories**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the plot.**

It was an unusually cold day, just a step outside the door and you would rethink going out, that is, if you could make it out.

You may think that cold days were normal, but this was the middle of summer, it was snowing for god's sake. Snow covered every landmark, building and house visible, but one of the houses was an exception…

A girl with light brown hair was awoken in by a bright light, she mumbled something that sounded like

"Tim get that torch out of my eyes!"

There was no reply…

She rubbed her eyes, finding that the light was brighter, it seemed that **she** was the source of light.

She squinted down at her body but could only see light, it was too bright.

She went down the hall to her little brother's room.

A groan was heard as she entered the room

"Hermione, stop it!"

Tim rubbed his eyes

"I thought you were a top witch at your school, did one of your spells go wrong?"

"I don't know what's happening! I'm scared!"

Hermione, being the smart witch she was known to be, used her brain.

_Who would be a good person to ask about this? Hmmmmmmmm…Professor Dumbledore! I should have thought of this sooner!_

Luckily she had given Dumbledore a mobile phone last Christmas, Dumbledore had taken to the art muggle shopping, much like Arthur Weasley. He had been delighted when Hermione gave him his Nokia 6610 i and explained how to use it.

Hermione dialled the number from her cordless home phone

_Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep_

_Ring ring, ring ring, ring ring, ring_

"_Hello Miss Granger, what is the reason of your calling at this untimely hour of the morning?"_

"Hey Professor, this may sound odd but it seems that I am glowing, literally."

"_Hmmm, curious, very curious, tell me more about this glowing, what colour is the light?"_

"Umm, it is a really bright and intense white light, I think it has a tinge of yellow in it too. What is happening to me?"

"_I cannot be certain, but I think I have read an article on something like this happening. It involves you and a certain other person, namely, your soul mate. You must come together and unite your love for one another, if not, the wizard world will perish. One by one witches, wizards and any other magical creature with magic in its blood will lose their power, magic will be no more. You must find this 'soul mate' for the fate of the wizarding world rests in your hands."_

Heavy breathing was heard by Dumbledore. Then a quiet voice answered him back.

"How will I find him? When will I find him? This is all so sudden"

"_Your soul mate will be very different to you, as opposites attract. Wherever your soul mate is something will be happening to him, much like yourself. In a couple of hours you will not be glowing and whatever is happening to him will stop also. As you are opposites and you are glowing, and the opposite of light is darkness, something of that effect may happen to him, such as a shadow cast on him or something. When you meet him he will look normal but when you fall in love with each other you will each glow or darken respectively. As for your 2nd question, I don't know when you will find him, time will only tell. I am not sure but I assume you will have some type of time limit. So if I was you I would start looking as the fate of magic rests in your hands. Nice talking to you miss Granger, I have several tasks to attend to so without further adieu I bid you goodbye"_

"Bye Professor, thankyou for you help and kindness."

Hermione hung up the phone and flopped down on her couch. All of this information was just too much for her brain, she felt drowsy and soon fell asleep thinking of the events of the day.

**A/N: Hey ppl, how did you like my 1st chapter? Did it suck:p**

**Review plz! Its not that hard to click the button, its right there, bottom left of this page!**

**:D xoxoxo lani**


	2. Partying

**Chapter two**

**Partying and parting**

**A/N: Hey guys, guess what?_(What)_ I have figured out the plot, unlike my other stories which are going no where. **

**Anyway, enjoy this chap**

Hermione woke late the next day, she would have stayed where she was but the sun was shining through the window. She rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn

_What a strange dream that was, I wonder if it meant anything, it couldn't have been real could it? I don't know how my brain comes up with these dreams…_

She was awoken from her daydreaming by the sound of her doorbell ringing, she got up from the comfortable couch and looked at the clock on the wall, it read 1.35pm.

_What did I do last night that made me so tired?_

Hermione walked to the door and opened it…

There stood Ben Young, Hermione's oldest friend and neighbour. The pair of them had grown up together and had become the greatest of friends, even when Hermione learnt that she was a witch and went to Hogwarts, they still stayed in touch. When she came home at the end of the year it was like nothing had changed, they would still hang out and laugh at each others dumb jokes.

"Hey Ben, why may I ask are you at my door at this hour of the day?" Hermione asked while smiling

"Hermione, I've rung like 10 times, don't you ever pick up your phone?"

"I was sleeping"

"Sure you were, anyway I came here to ask you if you wanted to come to a party at my house tonight."

" Yeah, of course I'll come, who else is coming?"

" Ummm, a few friends, mum and dad have gone out for the night and they said I could invite some friends over, but they didn't say how many."

" K, I'll be there, when does it start?"

" Around 7, don't be late" Ben said, winking at Hermione, before turning to leave.

"Bye Ben!" She said before blowing him a kiss

"Cya Hermione"

Hermione was looking through her wardrobe for something to wear. She had been to Ben's parties and house many times and knew that he had a pool, she got her bikini out, and that he usually had some kind of music playing loudly, she decided to wear something comfortable to dance in.

She decided on a loose mini skirt, not tight, and a singlet.

She charmed her hair, in case some of the guys were good looking, and then applied a tiny bit of makeup. It didn't matter that she might go in the pool, it was all about first impressions.

She went down to the kitchen

" Hey Tim, can you tell mum that I'm at Ben's house when she get home from work?"

"Yeah sure whatever, are you guys dating yet?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, we're just friends" Hermione replied exasperated

"Whatever you say" He said before walking out.

" Hey Hermione, glad you could make it"

" Glad I could come Ben"

There were about 10 teens scattered around Ben's backyard, music was pumping through speakers and a couple of people were dancing.

Ben led Hermione over to a couple of guys

"Hey guys, this is my friend Hermione. Hermione these are a couple of mates from school and other places."

"Hi" Hermione said awkwardly

One of the guys smiled at her before introducing himself and the rest of them

"Hey, this is James, the tall ones Andrew or Andy as we call him, and the twins are Tom and Rory. And the good looking one is me, Nick"

Pointing to everyone in turn, before grinning when he said the last bit.

" Nice to meet you guys."

Hermione grabbed Ben's hand and led him to where everyone was dancing

" Your friends seem nice" Hermione said while dancing

"Yeah, they are, but they can be real dickheads sometimes" Ben said while spinning Hermione

They danced to a fast song and they were soon puffed from all the laughing and moving

"Want a drink, since I'm such a gentleman?" Ben asked

"Yeah sure, what do you have?"

They made there way to the esky and grabbed a beer each. They watched Tom and Rory have a sculling competition, while drinking their own.

She looked around, there were now way more then 10 people, more like 50. Lucky Ben's yard was massive.

Someone grabbed her arm and she felt herself getting pulled away into a dark corner. She looked up into the eyes of a wasted James. She smelt the alcohol when he breathed.

"What do you want?" Hermione asked, not afraid, but curious

He pushed her up against the wall and pinned her arms down, she could feel his erection pushed up against her.

The mood changed, Hermione was now starting to get slightly nervous. Slightly was an understatement, his head approached hers and he forced his tongue into her mouth. Hermione being the brave Gryffindor she was known for, bit down on his tongue.

"Fuck, you bit me, you little bitch! I'm gunna get you now you whore"

She took this time to struggle free on of her hands, without a second thought she slapped him as hard as she could, he realised the pressure on her body and she ran towards the rest of the people.

She looked around for Ben but couldn't see him, she turned and saw James approaching and looked around for a familiar face.

She saw Nick over by the pool and went over

"What's wrong" he asked, Hermione didn't realise there were tears running down her cheek. She didn't exactly feel like telling him that she had just been sexually harassed. Nick hated to see girls crying, and seeing that she wasn't answering he moved over to her and wrapped his muscular arms around her. Hermione buried her face in his chest, thankful for his kindness.

James was now a couple of meters from them

"Hey James, do you know where Ben is?" Nick called out

Hermione raised her head at the sound of James' name.

"Nah sorry mate" James replied while staring and smirking at Hermione, who Nick noticed was trembling while looking at James. Nick being the intelligent guy he was known for figured it out

"James, what did you do to her?" he asked angrily, James had a reputation for harassing girls

"Nothing much, would have liked to do much more with that body of hers…"

He didn't get to finish what he was saying because Nick's fist cam slamming into James' jaw. James didn't give up that easily he rammed Nick in the stomach and they both fell into the Pool.

"Hermione, what happened? I went to the toilet and now Nick and James are having a fistfight in the pool." Ben was now standing next to her.

Hermione was watching the two of them fight and to her disappointment Nick was losing badly, He was a bit shorter then James, which was a disadvantage in a pool. James was currently trying to push Nicks head under the water and was succeeding.

Hermione acted on instinct, she stripped down to her bikini and jumped in the pool. She started slapping and kicking James. He let out and evil chuckle and grabbed her arm in mid slap. She struggled and tried to swim away from him but he was too strong. He pulled her towards him and started to feel her tummy with his disgusting fingers.

Ben saw this from the edge of the pool, he threw of his t-shirt and jumped in wearing his board shorts. He punched James and grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her over to the end of the pool where Nick was.

"James I think you should leave" Ben said

James got out of the pool and glared at anyone who gave him a glance.

"Thanks guys, if it wasn't for you I don't know what would have happened" Hermione said quietly. Ben looked at her and saw the sadness and embarrassment in her eyes, he gently squeezed her hand

"It's alright Hermione, he won't bother you anymore" Ben said in a soft and soothing voice

Hermione smiled faintly and looked over at Nick. He noticed he had a black eye, blood nose and was sporting several bruises. He seemed to be in a lot of pain and was clutching his tummy. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt trying not to make him wince in pain when she touched him. He had a massive bruise on his tummy, it was swelling.

"Ben, help him out of the pool, and get some ice."

When they were out they laid him on a nice patch of grass and got some ice. While they sat there, Hermione studied Nick, he had brown hair, grey eyes and a really good build overall.

She noticed him grinning because he caught her staring.

She smiled back and their eyes locked for a moment.

It was getting late and most of the people had gone home except for a couple of drifters

"Sorry guys I have to get up early tomorrow to get my school stuff, so I have to go" Hermione said, knowing it was the sensible thing

"I'll walk you over to your house" was Ben's reply

Hermione lent over and kissed Nick on the cheek

"Thankyou Nick, It was really nice meeting you, maybe I'll see you around next holidays"

"It was really nice meeting you too Hermione, except the part where I got a black eye. Call me next time you need saving from something." Nick said winking at her, while grimacing in the pain of his black eye

Ben and Hermione walked slowly back to her house hand in hand

"Thanks for coming Hermione, it was great to have you there"

"Thanks for inviting me"

"What are friends for?"

Hermione gave him a big hug and a quick peck on the cheek before they parted and went their separate ways.

**A/N: So how do you like my story, probably sucks! No flames please! Only good reviews! Anyway my next chapter is coming soon! I promise! Review please!**

**xoxoxo Lani**


	3. Ferret encounter

**Chapter 3**

**Ferret encounter**

**A/N: My last chapter was really long compared to normal, I don't think this one will go for as long sorry you'll have to wait for the next chapter, keep reading my story!**

Hermione was having a look at the latest models of broomsticks at quality quiditch supplies when she sensed a certain two friends behind her. She grinned because she knew that they were planing to sandwich her between the two of them like they always did.

"I wonder who could be behind me?" she said in a sarcastic voice

"Dammit Ron, why do you have to breathe so loudly?" the slightly angry voice of Harry said exasperatedly

" Hmph, I do _not _breathe loudly" Ron replied arrogantly

By this time Hermione had turned around and pushed them together for a big group hug.

"How were your holiday guys? Hermione said cheerfully

"Alright, after you left the burrow Harry and Ginny had this massive fight and broke up, so the mood in the house wasn't very nice. How about you? Do anything interesting?" Ron said while cheekily grinning at Harry who was glaring at Ron trying to bore holes into his head by staring.

" My hols were pretty boring after I left the burrow, except for this raging party at my friend Ben's house, and this strange dream I had, I can't remember it all but it seemed so real, like it wasn't a dream."

"So have you got your books yet?"

"No, you?"

"Nup"

With that the three of them walked over to Florish and Blotts

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? The potty, and his mudblood, as well as his pet Weasel."

"Sod off Malfoy, why don't you just go to Azkaban, where you belong. You can spend some quality time there with your dad" an angry Ron rebutted

"At least my fathers not blood traitor, your fathers a filthy mugglelover"

"At least my family and I aren't death eaters!"

"Are you implying that I'm a death eater?"

"I dunno? Am I? I guess you're stupid as well you little ferret"

"You take that back Weasel?"

"Take what back ferret, that you're a death eater? Even if your not right now, I'm sure you will be in a couple of years, just like your pathetic family"

Malfoy was turning red with anger, he couldn't help the fact that his parents were death eaters, it wasn't their fault either, it was their parents, and their parents, and their parents parent's etc.

"Fuck Malfoy, what was that for?" Ron said rubbing his jaw which had come into contact with Draco's fist.

"For insulting me and my family" Draco said before turning and walking calmly away.

"Is that all?" Hermione asked her two friends while scanning her list

"Erm, yeah" came Harry's reply

"Are you gunna get a broomstick? You're a really good chaser Hermione, I bet you'll make the team now that Angelina's gone." Ron asked.

He, Harry, Ginny and the twins had taken the liberty of teaching her the skills of broomstick flying and quiditch and after a lot of perseverance and practise she had finally gotten used to it. She had gradually improved her skills and now was a quite talented chaser.

"Umm, yeah alright, why not? Any recommendations?"

"The new firebolt-max maybe, or the nimbus 3000"

Hermione settled on the nimbus 3000 because it was slightly cheaper.

After several minutes of looking at quiditch items they said their goodbyes

" Cya guys at the station, it was great seeing you" Hermione said while she gave them both a hug

"Yeah great seeing you too"

"ditto"

A/N: Soz about the short and boring chapter, review please!

NO FLAMES PLEASE!


	4. Awkwardness

**Chapter 4**

**Awkwardness**

**A/N: Hey guys, review plz, even if you think my story sucks, just don't flame it!**

Hermione woke up with smile on her face, today was the day she was returning to Hogwarts. Even though she didn't have many friends as she wished she loved Hogwarts. It was the one place where she could be herself. She loved the cosy, secluded library where she could study without distraction, she loved snuggling up in the comfy armchairs by the fire in the Gryffindor common rooms, and she loved having her two best friends in Hogwarts always there for her.

On her way out to her parent's car she saw Ben, her best muggle friend coming out of his house walking towards her

"Have fun Hermione, I'll miss you and your unfunny jokes, not" Ben said but Hermione knew he was joking, he would miss her just like she would miss him.

"I'll miss you too Ben, you and your smartarse comments"

She hugged him and said goodbye before blowing him a kiss and departing

"Harry, Ron!" Hermione screeched over the crowd of students who were in the carriage.

"Hermione, come over here!" they shouted back

She made her way over and they hugged and said their hello's. They made their way down to an empty carriage and arranged their trunks in a compartment.

After a while Seamus, Dean and Neville came in and the topic of the conversation changed to quiditch. Hermione joined in for a while but soon grew tired of the sport talk. She wondered down the train and found Parvati and Lavender deep in conversation

"Oh hey Hermione, we were just discussing Hogwarts most eligible bachelors, care to join us?"

"Yeah sure, why not, got nothing better to do." Hermione was amused at her self for planning on discussing such a un-Hermione thing.

"We even have a list, care to see?"

"umm, okay, if you insist"

She took the parchment from Lavender and scanned down

_Most eligible Bachelors at Hogwarts _

_Draco Malfoy_

_Harry Potter_

_Cedric Diggory_

_Michael Corner_

_Ron Weasley_

_Terry Boot_

_Zacharias Smith_

_Seamus Finnegan_

_Justin F…_

The list went on for ever and ever but what surprised Hermione the most was the first name on the list

'Draco Malfoy'

He wasn't even good looking… was he?

She had never really noticed, he had been too busy calling her names and directing curses flying in her direction for her to give him a second glance.

She handed back the list and excused herself politely and walked back to her carriage. She was walking past the toilets when the toilet door swung out colliding with her face, the force was so hard that she fell to the floor.

"Fuck, sorry!"

Hermione looked up into the eyes of Draco Malfoy.

_How ironic, I was just thinking about him. Speaking of the devil, did he just apologise?_

She studied his face, he wasn't bad looking, she hadn't noticed because she had been too full of rage and hate of the guy.

"Did you just apologise Malfoy?" Hermione asked curiously

He just stared at her, there was a nasty cut on her cheek that had been caused by the door. He muttered a healing a spell, and just continued staring at her. She felt a blush coming on and decided she had to do something because the situation was so awkward.

"What, cat got your tongue? No mud blood comments. I think you've lost your touch Malfoy" She said snidely

He just stared, _what is wrong with this guy? S_he looked into his grey eyes and saw a hint of something in them, something that looked a bit like guilt, maybe a bit of sadness as well. _What the Hell? _ He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Ron walking in.

"What the fuck Malfoy, are you harassing Hermione again? Don't you have something better to do? Maybe you should go fuck your whore Parkinson, I heard her whining your name."

Draco stood up, glanced at Hermione with an unreadable expression before leaving the carriage. He surprised himself by feeling hurt.

"Ron, your so insensitive sometimes" she said angrily before pushing past him and going to talk to Harry.

_I don't understand girls sometimes._

She had been fine when she left and he had taken the effort to come and look for her because he cared and was looking out for her. _She knew that, didn't she?_

Ron puzzled over her strange actions, maybe it was that time of the month…

A/N: Hey guys I've decided to write chapters that are about this length because it takes less time so I can write more. If I write a long chapter it drains the fun of writing out for some reason


	5. Sadness and Surprise

**Chapter 5**

**Sadness and Surprise**

**A/N: Hey guys, an unexpected twist in this chapter, I have decided to actually finish this story, unlike my other two stories that aren't going anywhere, I know that my story probably sucks but I am actually going to finish it, even if it kills me! Anyway enjoy or hate this chapter, whatever u want**

Hermione sat in the great hall chewing a leaf of lettuce. She wasn't really in the mood to eat such a large meal so she sat their, thinking and staring into space.

"Hermione, are you going to eat anything?" Ron's voice drifted past but had no effect on her whatsoever.

"Hermione, is something wrong?" Harry's concerned voice was heard on some level. _I guess I should talk to them, their probably worried about me, Harry has enough weight on his shoulders. He has Voldemort to worry about. He doesn't need any more stress._

"No, I'm just thinking"

She had a gut feeling that something was going to happen sometime near in the future, she could sense it, and it worried her.

"You should eat something, you look pale" Harry replied still concerned.

She glanced around the room and the staff table caught her eye. She could sense that they were talking about something important, they were speaking in what looked like hushed voices. She brushed off the thought and made an attempt to eat as much as she could and avoid questions from Harry and Ron.

She watched the people around her interact, she wasn't really interested in socialising so she just watched. She didn't know what was wrong, she just felt really down.

When most of the people were clearing out her eyes caught Dumbledore's. She could see the sadness in his eyes from were she was sitting. She looked away, not wanting to know what was wrong. She looked up and saw Dumbledore making a beeline towards her. _Shit, its something to do with me, isn't it! _she was hoping that maybe she had just had imagined it and that the gut feeling was just her overreacting and thinking too much.

Then Dumbledore said the seven words that made her heart sink.

"Miss Granger, can I talk to you?"

She mumbled a yes, not wanting to know what the topic would be. She said goodbye to Ron and Harry and followed Dumbledore to his office.

"Droobles" he said clearly and the gargoyle moved to the side

"Take a seat Miss Granger"

She could anticipate the bad news, she felt tears at the back of her eyes, she knew the news would not be good

"Miss Granger, the news I am about to tell you will hurt you and be painful. I will tell you it all because that way it will be easier for me and you, so please try not to interrupt. I would like to wish this hadn't happened and I am saddened deeply by it. Am I correct in saying you have a muggle friend by the name of Ben Young and brother called Tim?"

"Yes" she said softly.

_Omg something has happened, an accident, shit are they dead? Fuck Fuck Fuck! What was the last thing I said to them? FUCK!_

_Last night your parents were dining over at the Young's when they were killed by the dark lord Voldemort, both your parents and Ben's were killed by the unforgivable Avada Kedavra. It turns out that Mr Young used to be powerful wizard but fled from Voldemort when he heard that he was searching for him. He wasn't a supporter but Voldemort wanted him because he was brilliant and talented. Mr Young or 'Sam' came to live in the muggle world because he thought it would be safer that way. He married and had Ben and never told them about his magic past. But last night Voldemort and his entourage of death eaters came in, trashed the house and killed your parents. Voldemort made Mr Young watch his wife die before saying "All of this could have been different Young, if only you had listened to me the first time and joined forces with the dark side, you were a very talented wizard, to bad you had to waste all that talent and marry a filthy mudblood. You thought you could hide and you were wrong. Now you must die. _

_Never underestimate the power of the Dark Lord. _

_That was when he killed them. _

_Your friend Ben and your brother were out when the dark lord passed through and they are still alive, thanks to good timing. I thought about it for a long time and have come to the decision to let them both stay at Hogwarts as students. You may be thinking why, I have to do a lot of thinking as well. It turns out that they both have a little bit of magic running through their veins and I think that with the help of guidance of the greatest witch at Hogwarts they will soon be up to scratch in their schooling. The two of them are currently in the Room of Requirement and will move into their common rooms tomorrow, after they are sorted. You are welcome to stay the night there with them. I know this a lot to take on at the moment and if you need someone to talk to I will always be here to have a chat. If I'm not here you can always talk any members of staff, we are all here to help you. Think of us a friends, not teachers. _

"Thankyou professor" Hermione said quietly before getting up and leading herself out of the room. She wasn't crying, her mind hadn't processed everything yet. As if her parents were dead! These sorts of things never happened to her or people she knew. Except for Harry of course, but he was different, he was the Voldemort's nemesis. She walked down to the room of requirements and opened the door. She saw two boys, which proved that what she had heard tonight hadn't been imaginary, it was real. The boys glanced up and Hermione felt the tears coming, she couldn't hold them back. She went over to a bed and cried out all the pain and misery she could. She cried for her parents, all she could think of were memories. Her mum and the way she would come into her room and brush her hair before she went to bed; her dad giving her piggybacks and holding her hand when they crossed the road when she was small. Just all the memories of them and her being together, just the four Grangers, Dad, Mum, Tim and her, going on Vacations to beaches, going skiing in Italy, so many memories... No longer was she the daughter of two successful dentists, she was an orphan. An orphan, _an orphan, an orphan, those words swimming around her head, mocking her…_

'_Orphan…' _

**A/N: Hey how'd you like my chapter, no flames please, just good reviews**


	6. Strange slytherin

**Chapter 6**

**Strange Slytherin**

**A/N: Hey guys, thanx 4 reviewing, u can review the first couple of chapters as well if you want, thanx! Anyway, on with the story**

Hermione woke with sore red eyes. She was in a room she didn't recognise, and then it hit her, the previous night's occurrences. Her parents were dead.

She looked around the room and saw two other beds, both occupied by Tim and Ben.

She walked over to the window and peered out, it was dark so she assumed it was very early in the morning. She went to the bathroom and washed her face. She studied herself in the mirror, her eyes scanned her blotchy face and dark rings under her eyes. She quickly muttered

"Accio Wand" and sure enough it came flying into her hand.

She used a couple of spells to make herself look better and walked back to the main room. She suddenly realised she was in 'The room of requirement', which meant that whatever she required, would come. If only her parents were there, but they weren't, they were dead. She wondered what the time was and so a clock appeared on the wall. It read 6.14 am. A rustling noise was heard from one of the other beds as one of the boys stirred. The boy let out a yawn and rolled over.

"Morning Tim"

"Hermione? Where am I? Oh God, I had this horrible dream last night! Mum and Dad were dead and so was Ben's parents"

Hermione started crying again and the look on Tim's face showed that he wasn't exactly in a cheerful mood either. For him, crying wasn't an option, he tried not to show much emotion, it's just what guys did. He was a year younger than Hermione, about **15**. It was about 6.30 before Ben woke up. Seeing Hermione crying he instinctively went over to her bed to comfort her. He sat down and put his arm around her back, pulling her into a hugging position. He had been waiting for a chance like this, to be close to Hermione, even under the circumstances. Tim watched this all from his bed. Being the insensitive teenage boy he couldn't resist a chance to make a comment.

"God guys get a room" he said while making smooching noises.

Ben turned around so he was facing Tim and shot him a death stare, which Tim took seriously and shut up altogether.

A knock was heard from the door and Dumbledore walked into the room seconds later.

"Good morning Mr Young, Mr Granger and Miss Granger. You may be wondering who I am he said to the boys. I am Professor Dumbledore Headmaster of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry and I am offering you a place at my school. I have checked and you both seem to have SOME magic running through your veins, meaning you can both become wizards. You will be taught the basics of magic and then with a bit of perseverance you will be able to join normal classes with the rest of the students. I am sure this will not take long under the guidance of Miss Granger of course. If you accept these terms you will stay here for the rest of your schooling but if you choose not to take this opportunity your memory will be erased of the past couple of hours and you will continue life in the muggle world. Any questions?"

"Um, what's a muggle?"

"Non-magical person"

"Oh I see"

"I will leave you for a couple of minutes to talk amongst yourselves and decide"

Dumbledore walked out of the room calmly and shut the door behind him.

"So guys, what do you think? Will you stay?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah of course I'll stay here! A chance to learn magic, no way will I pass up an opportunity like that!" Tim said excitedly

"How about you Ben, are you going to stay?" she asked him hopefully.

"Of course I'll stay! There isn't much to go back for anyway" He replied looking down at the floor.

Dumbledore walked back inside the room.

"So your decisions?

"We'll stay" the two boys said in unison.

"Ah, excellent! I am pleased to have you in the school and I hope you will enjoy your time here as students" Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling in admiration.

"You will obviously need your school supplies, but I can get them in the mail for you, as for wands we can go get them tomorrow after you have met some of the other students. There is one last thing to do before you can go roam the school. You boys will have to be sorted, wait here and I will go get the hat."

After Dumbledore left, just one question was on their minds.

"Sorted? What are we being sorted for?"

"You get sorted into houses, there are 4 of them. Their names are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. They all have individual qualities and I myself are in Gryffindor. You do heaps of things in your houses. Your common rooms are in house groups as well as most classes. To get sorted you have to put on an old hat, which ironically is called the sorting hat, and it well sorts you into a house."

Dumbledore entered again before producing an old battered hat from inside his robe. Ben and Tim were shocked when it started singing but it was all over in a matter of minutes.

"Mr Granger you can go first, just place the hat on your head" Dumbledore handed Tim the hat and he placed it on his head.

_Hmm… another Granger eh? Interesting, very interesting indeed, you have brains like your sister, most definitely, but you also seem to be courageous and brave, much like our Godric was. Hmm yes I think Gryffindor will do you well!_

"Gryffindor!" it yelled and Tim removed the hat and handed it to Ben who placed it on his head

_Ah Mr Young! I've heard of your father, brilliant wizard, was very successful from what people say, I can see you want to succeed, you have the power within you so I think Slytherin would be a good place for you._

"Slytherin!" The hat yelled.

_Damn I won't be with Hermione! Oh well, I guess I can make other friends in Slytherin. _

Dumbledore took what looked like miniature robes out of his pocket. He said a spell and the robes grew to the size of the boys.

"Here put these on so you don't look different" Dumbledore explained to the two boys

"Welcome to Hogwarts Ben!" Hermione smiled at him

"You don't seem the Slytherin type, I was surprised" she said

"What's the Slytherin type?" he said defensively

"You can see for yourself, lets go."

A/N: A boring chapter, I know, u can review anyway because it's a nice thing to do!


	7. Meeting new people

**Chapter 7**

**Meeting new people**

**A/N: Hey hope you like the chapter. Thanks for those who reviewed! Thanks Cara for being my beta! Hermione is going to end up with someone unexpected at the end. You won't be able to predict who it is!**

Hermione opened the door to the great Hall where most of the students were currently eating breakfast and led Tim and Ben over to the Gryffindor table.

"Hey Guys, this is my brother Tim and my friend Ben. They're new, obviously, so you'll have to explain a few things to them if they ask." Hermione said to her housemates.

"Nice to meet you guys, you'll enjoy Hogwarts, its great. By the way I'm Harry and this is Ron, Seamus, Neville, Dean, Ginny, Lavender and Parvatti" Harry said in a cheerful voice, introducing some of the house.

"Yeah hey, Hermione's told me heaps about you guys, nice to finally meet you." Ron said grinning.

Ben and Tim shook hands with all the guys before sitting down.

They discussed many things while eating some of the delicious food in front of them. Harry filled them in on some of the basics because he remembered what it was like on his first day. He had known nothing about magic at all and had just found out he was a wizard.

"Hey, thanks for being so nice but I think I better go make some friends in my own house" He said pointing to the Slytherin table.

"Oh right guys, I forget to tell you, Ben's in Slytherin"

"Well ok, Cya later, nice meeting you Ben, we should catch up sometime today." Ron said politely. The Gryffindors said their goodbyes one bye one. Hermione took Ben's hand and squeezed it affectionately

"Good luck Ben" she whispered

He let go and walked over to the Slytherin table.

"Hermione! He's in Slytherin! You could have told us" several comments were muttered about Ben.

"Guys, you can't just judge someone because of their house! Even if he is in Slytherin!" she argued back, defending her friend.

Ben walked over to the table, he glanced up and down. These 'Slytherins' didn't look very friendly. He saw a group sneering and laughing over something that didn't look very funny. The leader of the group was a blonde boy, he looked the type that turned their noses up at everything. There was something about him that just screamed 'Spoiled Rich Brat' He saw a couple of boys that looked a little less nasty and decided to sit with them. He walked over and introduced himself to a boy that looked Italian, he had dark hair and tanned olive skin.

"Hey, my names Ben Young, I just got here, and obviously I'm a Slytherin."

"Hi, I'm Blaise Zabini, nice to meet you. I've been here since first year" Blaise said eyeing the new boy. They shook hands and the conversation picked up from there. At some point the boy Ben knew as 'Blonde boy' came over and introduced himself.

"Draco Malfoy," He said "I'm sure you've heard of my family they ARE very well known"

Ben didn't know how to respond to this information so he simply stated,

"Hey, I'm Ben Young, nice to meet you"

"So, do you know anyone yet? Since you're new and all."

"Yeah actually. I just met Blaise, and I'm friends with a couple of the Gryffindors. I know Hermione from where I'm from, she's one of my best friends, do you know her?" he asked innocently, he didn't know about the house rivalry so he didn't know that Gryffindors and Slytherins didn't mix.

Something flashed through Draco's eyes when Ben mentioned Hermione, Ben didn't really take notice of it though.

"Be careful who you hang out with Young, you wouldn't want to make any enemies" and with that the blonde boy turned and went back to his group.

"What's up his ass?" Ben joked to Blaise.

"His parents are powerful and rich people and they are into the dark arts. Heaps of people fear the Malfoys, a word of advice, don't mess with Draco"

"Whatever, why doesn't he like Gryffindors?"

Blaise explained the house rivalries. Ben learnt a lot about the wizarding community over breakfast. Blaise and Ben ended up being great friends, they both had a sense of humour and similar attitudes. In Ben's eyes, things looked good, it looked like he was going to have a good time at Hogwarts.

Hermione was bored, it was almost time to go to bed but she wasn't really tired at all. It would just mean her having to remember her parents.

She was sick of exploding snap, sick of chess and wasn't in the mood for gossiping with Lavender and Parvati. She decided to go for a walk to clear her thoughts. She told Harry and Ron were she was going and set off. She walked around the corridors, past the classrooms, the great hall, down to the dungeons and up again. She went up the stairs in the astronomy tower and stared at the stars. They were so bright and beautiful at this time of the night, and twinkled in the sky.

Her eyes followed a beam of light which ended on a huddled figure in the corner of the tower. She moved closer and saw that it was Ben, he was staring at the floor hoping whoever was in the tower wouldn't notice him.

"Ben" she said softly. "What are you doing up here?"

_Fuck it's Hermione, Shit! She can't see me crying like this, She'll never like me if she knows I cry like a sissy. _

Ben stared at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world he had seen. He didn't want her to see his teary face. Then a single teardrop fell from his eye, a dead giveaway for Hermione.

_He's crying, that's so cute, I never thought I would see him crying, he has that whole masculine thing happening. I wonder what the reason is? OMG my parents are dead! FUCK! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT! OMG! I AM AN ORPHAN!_

She crumpled to the floor next to Ben and sobs racked up her body. Ben realised that he wasn't the only one mourning the death of parents, it must have been 100 times harder for Hermione. She was always so close to her parents. He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. She cried into his shoulder and soon she had cried it all out.

She looked up at him and gave him a faint smile

"Why are you so nice to me Ben, I don't deserve it."

"Hermione of course you deserve it, I'd do anything for you Hermione. You know that! I've known you for so long, I would die without you, you're a part of me. You're the only reason I have to live now that my parents are gone."

Hermione was shocked yet pleased at the same time, Ben had feelings for her, she had feelings for him. Then it clicked she leaned in and captured his lips with hers. The kiss was slow and full of sadness from the both of them, it made them tremble and not want to let go of each other. The two of them lay there in each others arms. They didn't feel the need to kiss, they just like the close proximity and comfort of each other.

"Ben, I like the new you" Hermione whispered

"I'm still me Hermione, but in some ways I've changed, I'm going to be a wizard. I guess I'm a new person now"

"A pleasure to meet you Ben" she mumbled tiredly before drifting of to sleep inhaling Ben's scent.

A/N: Hey, how'd you like the chapter! Review please! Thanks!


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